gsv rally towels on the seats of flights going from the bay area to atlanta today. and the local bars have been flooded with giveaways and merch! it feels like everyone in sf has been decked out in valks gear.

If you live in a place with a women's sports bar, consider going there tomorrow night and drinking your feelings away after the game!

“The results of the 2027 WNBA draft lottery will air on Sunday, Nov. 15 from 7:30-8pm ET on ESPN. Houston and Toronto have the best odds (each with 329 chances out of 1,000). The 2027 WNBA draft is scheduled for Monday, April 12, 2027.”

There are plenty of good things that happen in the afternoon. Lunch, for instance. Or even a power nap. And who among us doesn’t enjoy having that second cup of coffee to power us through our midday malaise as we plot our pending escape into rush-hour traffic?

The afternoons are great for small pleasures but not at all suitable for a potentially deciding championship game in a billion-dollar sports league.

This isn’t to absolve the WNBA brain trust and commissioner Cathy Engelbert of this scheduling snafu that puts the league on par with the American Cornhole League Pro Singles Finals (first throw at noon). This massive blunder — and the behind-the-scenes maneuvering to resolve it — was a group effort.  Yay, teamwork. However, most of the power and oversight in this group belong to the NBA.

It’s the NBA’s owners, who control 42 percent of the WNBA, that are testing the limits of the W’s rapid growth and not understanding how a 12:30 p.m. tip reverts the league to the dark ages. It’s commissioner Adam Silver, who has previously gotten involved in the league’s business dealings because he cares about the bottom line, not forcibly taking the reins by rescheduling an NBA regular-season game to a later date so that a WNBA championship matchup could net a wider TV audience.

Read more from our columnist Candance Buckner.

Fertitta of Houston led in donations for WNBA owners and donated red.

On the NBA side, Dallas Mavericks owners gave Republicans 67 million! The second most spent was 2.0 million by the Bucks owner.

Hope Herb Simon continues to be healthy and well for many years. The Mystics owners were third in spending amongst WNBA owners. Also blue.

It is interesting to see how much bluer the WNBA owners trend in donations compared to NBA and NFL owners though!

https://frontofficesports.com/article/wnba-biggest-political-donations-2026-midterms/

In an open letter sent to Atlanta Dream fans, ownership appears to express their frustration about potential scheduling conflicts that were raised two months ago.

In case you have to work on Thursday...

According to this article the playoff dates were known since last December and the teams had to confirm arena availability for all those dates.

“Pacers Sports & Entertainment has tapped Excel Search & Advisory to lead the search for a new Fever GM after the firing of Amber Cox last Friday. While the search will key in on the basketball operations side, PS&E will consolidate business operations under President & CEO Mel Raines. It does not plan to fill the team president role left open after Kelly Krauskopf resigned this week.”

Same search firm to replace Cathy and it is CC’s management company (among other W players).

ATLANTA -- Facing a 3-2 deficit in their best-of-seven WNBA Finals series, the Atlanta Dream are looking to tap back into the confidence, joy and swagger that got them to the championship series ahead of a must-win Game 6 against the Golden State Valkyries on Thursday.

"I feel like the last couple games, we just haven't been ourselves, and we know that," DeWanna Bonner, a two-time WNBA champion, said on Wednesday. "You haven't seen us smile. You haven't seen us enjoying [each other], and that's how we play.

"Once you get to that moment and you get inside your head and you lose the joy of the game, it's really hard. You're playing against yourself, and you playing against the Golden State team. You can't do that."

The Dream had much of the early momentum in the series, which they entered on a 10-game winning streak. After narrowly losing Game 1 despite leading for nearly 30 minutes of the contest, Atlanta won Games 2 and 3 by a combined 40 points.

Games 4 and 5 have been more of a slog, which has worked into the hands of the Valkyries, who after Monday's win just need one more victory to clinch the championship.

The Dream see plenty that's fixable, particularly offensively, as they scored 62 and 55 points in the past two games and combined for 35 turnovers.

They want to start the game strong and feed off their home crowd at State Farm Arena. The team raved about the productivity of their film session and team meetings on Wednesday, including what star Angel Reese called "uncomfortable conversations" with each other about what they could do better individually and collectively.

Reese said "everybody's in a great mind space right now."

"We don't want to just be like the world is ending because our backs are against the wall," guard Rhyne Howard added. "We had them against the wall [after Game 3] and they showed up and they punched. So I think it's just our turn to come out and do the same thing."

Atlanta would have to win two games in a row to secure the franchise's first-ever championship, but having already done that in Games 2, which was in San Francisco, and 3, which was in Atlanta, makes the Dream believe they can do that again.

Facing elimination for the first time these playoffs, Atlanta is fighting to extend the series and force a winner-take-all Game 7 on Halloween back in San Francisco.

"Our confidence is still high," Bonner said. "There's no reason to lose confidence. We're down one game in this. We get [Game 6] and it's a series all over again."

"We have no doubt," Reese said. "I have no doubt that this team will come back and fight back and win this Game 6 and then move on from it."

In fact, Reese -- who was limited to single digits each of these past two losses for the Dream -- has been itching to get back out there since Monday -- "After the game, I wanted to play a game right away," she said.

"Just having a mindset of leaving it all out there," Reese said about Game 6. "You're going to have to peel me off the court. I want to be so damn tired. I want to just be able to give everything."

By Maggie Vanoni

Jen Rizzotti was awarded for her work with the Sun's "Sunset Season" Wednesday by earning the WNBA's 2026 Business Executive Leadership Award, as announced by the league. The award annually recognizes a WNBA team president who has shown "exceptional leadership in driving meaningful business transformation." Recipients of the award are nominated by their organization and voted on by WNBA team presidents.

Rizzotti joined the Sun in 2021 as its team president and led the franchise through its 2022 WNBA Finals run, a roster and coaching staff overhaul, and its most recent relocation. The Sun franchise relocated to Houston this fall and will be renamed the Houston Comets, resurrecting the former WNBA franchise that won the league's first four championships.

"I’m humbled that my peers voted to recognize me in this way," said Rizzotti in a press release. "Over my six seasons with the Sun, I’ve been fortunate to work alongside so many talented and dedicated people across the league. I’m grateful for their support, collaboration, and shared commitment to growing the game and advancing the WNBA. This recognition means a great deal to me, and I share it with the people who made this season and my time with the Sun so meaningful."

Led by Rizzotti, the Sun honored its history and paid tribute to its former stars during the 2026 season. Connecticut inducted the following former star players and coaches into its Sun Legends: Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, Tina Charles, Jasmine Thomas, Mike Thibault and Curt Miller. The franchise also hosted a Homecoming Game where former Sun stars were welcomed back to Mohegan Sun Arena, and a Fan Appreciation Night during its final game.

According to Wednesday's release, under Rizzotti, the Sun's social content engagement increased by 2,338% year-over-year and generated over 5 million interactions. The Sun also experienced a 50% increase in sellouts, 67.5% growth in partial-plan ticket sales and an increase in group ticket sales under the former Husky's leadership. Connecticut averaged over 8,700 fans per game during its final season in 2026.

The Sun also spent its final season giving back to the greater Uncasville community through the Connecticut Sun Foundation, raising and reinvesting $140,000 into local communities this year. Connecticut's community projects included a Habitat for Humanity contribution, restoring a community basketball court, a playground project in Groton and the franchise's Community Impact Legacy Awards.

"This was an incredibly unique and emotional season for our organization, and one of the most challenging of my career," said Rizzotti. "We had a responsibility to honor the history of the Connecticut Sun, acknowledge what this team and this community mean to one another, and make our final season in Connecticut something truly special. I’m incredibly proud of what our staff accomplished together and grateful for the passion, creativity, and commitment they brought to this season.

"Most of all, I want to thank our fans, whose loyalty and support never wavered. They are such an important part of this franchise’s legacy, and making this season meaningful for them was at the heart of everything we did."

Rizzotti is relocating with the Sun franchise to Texas and will retain her role as the Comet's President of Basketball Operations. Houston/Connecticut tied with the Toronto Tempo for the best odds in the upcoming WNBA Draft Lottery, where USC star JuJu Watkins is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft.

Rizzotti is a Connecticut native and a 2013 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. She helped lead UConn to its first national championship in 1995 and, during her WNBA career, helped the Comets win their 1999 and 2000 WNBA championships.

https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/uconn-womens-basketball/article/jen-rizzotti-wnba-ct-sun-business-award-comets-22499041.php

Minnesota here.

Indiana here.

Washington here.

Los Angeles here.

New York here.

Dallas here.

Las Vegas might be one of the tougher teams to figure out this offseason. While they could certainly choose to mostly run things back - and they can definitely use injuries as a valid excuse for falling short - it does feel like changes need to happen. The questions are, how many and how big? I have a really hard time getting a feel for what this team might look like next season.

Looking back, one can't really question the Aces' team-building strategy. Whatever it takes to win a title three out of four years is going to be worth the sacrifices but moving forward things look a little rough right now.

Since drafting Jackie Young #1 overall in 2019 (after drafting Kelsey Plum and A'ja Wilson #1 overall in the previous two years), their first-round picks were the following:

2020: traded the pick with Isabelle Harrison, Mo Jefferson, and a 2nd rounder for Liz Cambage. (Cambage would play 2 seasons with Vegas with Vegas winning the title the season after Cambage left for the Sparks in free agency).

2021: Iliana Rupert - Vegas would waive her the following offseason. She would become a valuable member of Golden St's inaugural season, starting 11 games.

2022: Mya Hollingshed, selected 8th, one spot ahead of Rae Burrell, and selected Kierstan Bell 11th.

2023: Traded the pick to Minnesota to acquire the 2022 first that turned into Hollingshed.

2024: Traded this pick along with Dearica Hamby for Amanda Zahui B who was then flipped for two 2nd round picks.

2025: Original pick was rescinded for "impermissible benefits and workplace policies" having to do with the Hamby situation. They would then acquire a 2nd rounder (13th overall) in the Kelsey Plum/Jewell Loyd trade where they drafted Aaliyah Nye who would then be left unprotected in the following season's expansion draft and selected by the Toronto Tempo.

2026: Pick was sent to Seattle in the Plum/Loyd deal.

2027: Traded the pick for NaLyssa Smith.

Perhaps in Las Vegas's defense, you could point out that none of the draft picks they traded resulted in them missing out on a single impactful player, but outside of Nalyssa Smith, they really didn't gain anything either. That's eight seasons without any sort of pipeline. But again, winning 3 out of 4 championships renders this sort of moot.

In previous seasons, Vegas has been able to attract vets towards the ends of their careers who were interested in playing for a ring. Angel McCoughtry, Candace Parker, Alysha Clark, Tip Hayes, and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus were key players for Vegas during their recent run. This strategy might repeat itself.

The Aces are now looking at an aging core of Chelea Gray (just turned 34), Loyd (33), A'ja (30), and Jackie Young (29). I don't think age is cause for panic necessarily; A'ja won another MVP, Young had maybe her most complete season, and Chelsea just keeps plugging along dropping dimes and hitting big shots. Those three with Loyd outscored their opponents by 15.5 points per 100 possessions this past season.

But I think two things loom large this offseason: Loyd's contract and severely diminished production and Jackie Young's free agency.

Their cap situation looks something like this at a $7.9M cap based on the maximum 13% increase:

A'ja: 1.58M

Jackie: 1.34

Chelsea: 1.05

Jewell: 0.84

Evans: 0.40

Barker: 0.29

The Aces also have Latson on a development deal and Pissott on a reserved contract.

You've then got to decide if NaLyssa Smith is worth bringing back. I have no idea what the market will be for bigs this offseason. Elizabeth Williams is at $600K, so maybe $700K considering the number of teams that will have interest? Would they prefer a cheaper option at center and then look for a bigger upgrade at Steph Talbot's position?

At the $700K number, you would only have $1.7M for the remaining 5 spots which means you are once again trying to fill out the roster with cheap vets like Talbot and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus a year ago.

Nothing will really matter until Jackie Young makes her decision.

My guess is that Young will test the market. She might be looking at this team and its aging core and wonder if she'd be better off with a team on the rise than a team that appears on the decline and, maybe like Plum, she wants to prove herself in more of a starring role.

Washington makes sense roster-wise for Young and that's an incredibly scary thought for the league.

Golden St. would work and I like her fit there far more than Plum or Mitchell and about the same as Collier. I'm curious how GSV approaches this offseason, though, especially if they end up winning the title.

Seattle would be a perfect fit for her, and she can drastically elevate that team as they mature. Feels maybe a little too much like being part of a rebuild and the coaching situation seems like a big downgrade from Hammon, but the team might also be ready sooner than later.

Phoenix has plenty of cap space if Plum moves on but that doesn't seem too different than Young's current situation.

I doubt she would want to go to Chicago right now, but a sign and trade for Diggins and Sydney Taylor might do something. And knowing Chicago, you could probably get them to throw in a first-round pick or two (sorry, Chicago fans. Too soon?). Jackie would essentially have to request this destination, so not likely to happen.

If Vegas loses Young, I would expect them to go hard after Kelsey Mitchell. Beyond that, it would be extremely difficult to replace her though they would likely be aggressive in the RFA market (Kuier, Burrell, Engstler) though those may not move the needle much.

Jewell Loyd

Loyd had a career-worst season scoring 8 points on 51.6 TS%. She has gone from 25ppg to 20 (on 36% FG) to 11 to 8. While she had a positive net rating when replacing Talbot on the floor with the starters, she was an overall net negative. Making over $800K each of the next two seasons makes her one of the most overpaid players in the league. Not counting injured players, Loyd and Mo Billings were the most expensive players coming off the bench for any playoff team.

As an aside, I wonder how the Plum/Loyd deal will be viewed down the road. As a reminder, the Aces gave up Plum AND a first-round pick and ended up with Loyd and a second rounder. Seattle was able to draft Dom Malonga with the Sparks' pick. The Aces were absolutely the losers of the 3-team deal. What if Vegas had traded Plum directly to LA for Li Yueru (or a different player) and that first rounder instead? If you're an Aces fan, would you trade last year's championship with Loyd for Malonga moving forward?

To move Loyd now, you'd likely have to include another future draft pick or take back another bad contract. I think they'd be hesitant to send another first rounder, but maybe they really don't believe in them at their likely draft position and would make the move for the right player.

In the Dallas post, I floated the idea of a Loyd for Alanna Smith trade. This would save Dallas a bit of money to re-sign Kuier, give them a seasoned vet who's "been there" (perhaps taking Alysha Clark's role), while giving Vegas a much better two-way option than Nalyssa Smith* next to A'ja (assuming Smith regains her form). Cap-wise, this would be a tough fit unless they lose Young or she takes an unlikely discount.

*NaLyssa Smith put up really good raw numbers, but advanced metrics really don't like her as much, especially on the defensive end. Coming off a knee injury, I would be hesitant to sign her to a larger long-term deal and would happily let another team overpay her if you can adequately replace her.

Similar to the Dallas deal, you could trade her to LA for Ariel Atkins. This saves LA a little bit of money and would give Vegas a much better perimeter defender who you would hope could regain her shooting stroke. Not sure I'd take on that extra salary if I'm Vegas, though, and not sure it saves the Sparks enough money to make that deal work for them.

Trading her home to Chicago for Skylar Diggans' expiring contract would work, though I'm not sure Chicago should do that - seems like they could get a better or a shorter deal. This means Chicago would probably consider it (again, sorry).

There are some expiring contracts that you could flip her for: to Phoenix for Sami Whitcomb, to LA for Eric Wheeler, or to Indiana for Mo Billings would work to varying unexciting degrees.

Chelsea Gray

Part of me wonders if they will explore moving Chelsea Gray and fully turn the offense over to Young if she stays. This would be the one big trade/change to happen in hopes of re-vitalizing the team.

Gray is still very effective, as she averaged 16.5/3.7/5.7 on good shooting splits this postseason. She is having a harder time defending quick guards and her TO% continues to be very high (higher than Caitlin Clark's, in fact - she averaged 4 TOs/game in the playoffs). This would be a serious sell high on an aging player before she drops-off in hopes of making way for the second half of A'ja and Jackie's careers. It's certainly risky, but these windows close quickly.

It's a little tough to find a landing spot for her as most of the current playoff teams are set at that position and/or would be hesitant to send back a good asset.

Washington for a package that includes Lauren Betts is interesting depending on how impatient Washington is. If you're Vegas and you're looking to shore-up your defense and get younger, Betts would be an excellent starting point. You could probably get one of Washington's young guards or wings as well considering they are adding one of those in the draft.

I keep bringing up Chicago but there are lot of pieces there to make deals work.

In the end, things really point to running it back. They don't have a first-round pick to trade. Outside of Yamamoto, they don't seem interested in international players - though I think that's largely due to a lack of interest in developing them. It's also a thin free agent market, though they are still an attractive spot for a veteran wanting to compete for a title.

Ultimately, I think the core remains intact and they will try but fail to move Loyd. I think they bring back NaLyssa Smith, maybe even Steph Talbot, and then try to fill out the bench with veterans.

Look, this weekday daytime game 6 situation is so ridiculous that all we can really do is laugh. 

Now that we’re getting the genre mashup nobody asked for - a WNBA Finals game rubbing shoulders with the Bold and the Beautiful, the Price is Right and the Jennifer Hudson Show - please give me your least serious suggestion for making this marriage of inconvenience complete:

Judge Judy deciding coaches’ challenges?

Which player has actually been their evil twin in disguise this whole season?

Bhad Bhabie halftime show?

You get a rally towel! You get a rally towel! Everybody gets a rally towel!

(inspired by this comment about having Maury Povich call the game)

I’ve made repeated threats in this subreddit to hold everyone accountable and it’s time for everyone to get in line and submit their apology forms here 👇👇👇👇👇

Aces fans, pls be aware that I’m expecting to see some apology forms from you.

I will not stand for the offseason panic erasure

(guys btw this is a joke)
(ok maybe I am a little serious)

Wishing her a speedy and complete recovery!

I believe this is the 4th arthroscopic knee procedure of the season (Azzi, KLS, AB, and now Nyara)

“Our team is our strength. You know, we’ve said strength in numbers and our team about anybody could close, anyone could start, anyone can come off the bench, anyone can finish the game. It’s just so valuable that we can change our rotations. We can change our lineups. That’s what’s kind of dangerous about our team. It’s hard to scout when you have so many options. And so that’s what I love.

“And I go back to a common theme of like, I’ve never met 14 players that want to see success in their team that’s sitting to the right or the left. Like no one wants credit on this team.

“I said that about Kiah Stokes. Like she gets like, I don’t really want to do too many things. She doesn’t like attention. I think that’s rare. I just think that’s rare in this age with social media and everything is that we have 14 players that really don’t feed into attention, and it keeps us laser focused.”

https://www.hitc.com/natalie-nakase-addresses-valkyries-being-shut-out-of-all-wnba-honors/

By Emma Baccellieri

Higher salaries mean that WNBA players no longer have to chase offseason paychecks in Europe or Asia. But the Mystics’ center saw a chance to develop her game.

This has been a year without an offseason for Lauren Betts.

Her college season ran through March Madness and into April as she won a national championship with UCLA. Less than two weeks after cutting down the nets, Betts was drafted No. 4 overall by the Mystics, and training camp started just a few days later. She played all 44 games of the WNBA regular season. Betts kept at it until the Mystics’ run ended in the first round of the playoffs. Finally, as September turned to October, she was done.

For a day.

Well, two days, technically. And then she flew to Turkey to start playing with EuroLeague powerhouse Fenerbahçe in Istanbul.

“I’m really big on balance, and you know, there were some points I did tell myself, like, I just want to take a break from basketball,” Betts said the day after the Mystics’ season ended and two days before she left for Turkey. “But I feel like I would be doing a disservice to myself if I didn’t just continue to grow. And I feel like going to Turkey and playing overseas is going to be a really good opportunity for me.”

That used to be the norm in the WNBA. Most players spent years going straight from one basketball season in the U.S. to another in Europe or Asia. It meant developing their games, but it also meant picking up a crucial paycheck. That dynamic has changed as the sport has experienced record growth over the past few years, with players unlocking higher salaries and more choices on how to build their careers. It has become far less common for high-profile young Americans like Betts to spend the winter playing in Europe.

But it was an experience she’d always wanted to have.

Some WNBA players have talked about how much they value the opportunity to spend their offseasons in the U.S. Betts valued the opportunity to go somewhere else.

Her father, Andy, spent years playing basketball in Spain, with other stints in Italy, Greece and Ukraine. (He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the No. 50 pick in 1998 but never appeared in the NBA.) His career led to an early childhood full of travel and cultural experiences for Betts and her siblings.

The family returned to the U.S. when she began third grade. She grew up in suburban Colorado, but she never forgot how enchanting she found those early years in Europe.

“I’m basically just fulfilling the family legacy,” Betts said with a smile. “It’s kind of full circle that I’m doing the same thing I watched my dad do.”

None of the American players chosen as lottery picks in 2024 or 2025 have spent their WNBA offseasons playing overseas. Betts is the only one from 2026 to do so with a traditional basketball team. (Top pick Azzi Fudd has signed on with the start-up Project B, which plans to stage a traveling global tournament beginning in January.) Some of these players have chosen to use their offseasons for rest or private development. Many have chosen to join Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league that began play in Miami in 2025, which lets them earn another salary and work on their games while remaining in the U.S.

“I think we’re privileged now that we have so many options as women,” Mystics forward Michaela Onyenwere said at the end of the season. “We don’t have to go overseas for a full seven months. I’m very grateful for that.”

Onyenwere entered the WNBA in 2021. She spent her first several winters playing in Spain, Turkey and China, joining many of her peers in figuring out how to navigate different international leagues every offseason. But this year, for the first time in her pro career, Onyenwere felt comfortable ending one season without immediate plans to jump into another.

WNBA paychecks increased significantly this year under a new collective bargaining agreement. Minimum salaries went from roughly $66,000 in 2025 to $270,000 in 2026. (The average player earned about $580,000 — roughly quadruple the average from a year ago.) It also helps that players have seen an uptick in endorsement deals as the league has grown in popularity. Getting another paycheck in the winter no longer feels quite so necessary. For a more established, mid-career player like Onyenwere, that creates an opportunity to spend the offseason truly off.

But the chance to practice against top international competition was still a draw for Betts. Her decision to join Fenerbahçe was about development as much as it was about family tradition. A 6-foot-7 center, Betts showed growth in her rookie year, picking up extra minutes as the season wore on and becoming a more assertive rebounder. But she knows that she needs to sharpen her footwork and become more comfortable outside the paint.

Through her first two games with Fenerbahçe, Betts is averaging 11 points, 8.5 rebounds and two assists.

“Any chance that I can just get myself into uncomfortable situations and just grow my game and try to put the ball on the floor a little more, shoot a little more,” Betts said before she left for Turkey. “I feel like it’s another opportunity for me to just get better and gain more confidence.”

That, she figured, would be worth staying in season for a few extra months.

https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/mystics/lauren-betts-overseas-offseason-mystics?redirected=notus_org

Here is another mock draft prediction lol.

1. JuJu Watkins | Houston

2. Madison Booker | Toronto

3. Hannah Hidalgo | Washington

4. Kymora Johnson | Seattle

5. Mikaylah Williams | Portland

6. S’Mya Nichols | Los Angeles

7. Sarah Cisse | Los Angeles

8. MiLaysia Fulwiley | New York

9. Tessa Johnson | Dallas

10. Khamil Pierre | Indiana

11. Oluchi Okananwa | Chicago

12. Ashlyn Watkins | Chicago

13. Chloe Kitts | Dallas

14. Talaysia Cooper | Golden State

15. Aïnhoa Risacher | Minnesota

I am a Valkyries season ticket holder and here is my honest take through five games.

The Valks rose to meet the moment.

The Dream also rose to meet the moment.

The refs have been horrible every game.

Did anyone else notice that the Golden State starting 5 the last two game all have Connecticut ties? All 5 starters either went to UCONN (Stokes, Williams, Hayes) or played for the Sun (Burton, Charles). Tip Hayes did both!